Video Tutorial: Animate a 2D Mobile Device with After Effects

In this video tutorial, learn how you can use motion graphics in After Effects to animate a 2D mobile device using your own UI design.

Working on an animated 2D mobile device project is quite common today since most people spend a lot their time online on a mobile device. With that in mind, you shouldn’t be surprised if your client wants to incorporate a mobile device into a project. A 2D mobile device is a great way to create a strong call-to-action, as it tells viewers that they can use their phones to get in on the action. (In fact, they will more than likely be on their mobile device while watching your video.)

Any company with a web presence or an app may need a commercial that showcases their product in the context of a mobile phone CTA. So, there are multiple ways to go about designing a mobile phone animation:

The easy way: download a .PNG of a file and animate in the UI.

The top of line way: create a 3D phone with realistic textures and accurate design.

And the clean motion graphics way: use 2D layers to make a 3D phone.

Use 2D Layers to Make a 3D phone

In this After Effects tutorial, we’ll create a clean motion graphics mobile animation. We’ll use the rounded rectangle tool to create each side of the phone. From there, we will use strategic compositions to design the phone and the UI. Lastly, we will tie all of the layers together and animate the phone in 3D space.